A UK government marketing campaign launched today will showcase the Clipper Round The World Race, of which Ridley Scott Associates, Ridley Scott’s production company, are executive producers.

CEO William Ward who runs Clipper Ventures, the company behind the race, will feature in one of 12 films produced in partnership with Ridley Scott Associates to highlight overseas export opportunities for UK businesses in a government campaign beginning today called Exporting is GREAT.

Filmed around the world in locations as varied as Qatar, France and Malaysia, Ward’s company is featured along with others in the film series representing some of the UK’s high-profile export business owners and personalities including interior designer Kelly Hoppen MBE, McLaren Formula Team CEO Ron Dennis, Professor Brian Cox and renowned chef Ken Hom.

Ward was filmed when the tenth edition of the biennial Clipper Round The World Race reached Rio de Janeiro last month, talking about marine engineering opportunities for UK businesses currently available in Brazil.

Regarding the film, Ward said: “I am very proud that the Clipper Race can help to showcase the opportunities for UK companies to export overseas. Travelling round the world on the Clipper Race, I know the demand is out there, and want other UK businesses to know that too.”

The British-owned Clipper Round The World Race was founded by Ward in 1995 with renowned yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and the first race took place in 1996. The Clipper Round the World Race is the world’s longest sailing endurance race and has been running bi-annually since the 1990s, visiting 14 ports on six continents over the course of its nearly year-long, 40,000-mile circumnavigation. Exporting is GREAT aims to increase by 100,000 the number of UK businesses which sell their goods and services overseas by 2020.

British-born Ridley Scott is a hugely successful filmmaker with movies such as ‘Blade Runner’, ‘Gladiator’, ‘Alien’ and most recently ‘The Martian’ on his CV.